O is for "Oh what a coincidence"

Ok, O is a stretch to find a topic. This past May I found out something very interesting, though, that I feel is a good post. When I lived in New York state I moved up to Camillus with knowing ANYONE who lived there (aside from one person at the company who had recommended me). I moved up to NY and started working. I met a guy friend at work named Matt. I started hanging around him and a few of his friends. Then, I joined a church and met Sara's mom. Sara, who became my best friend in New York, graduated from college and moved back in with her parents and they introduced us. We hit it off and she started hanging out with me and Matt and his friends. Matt and Sara are now married (below when they first started dating).
Now, if match-making wasn't a strange enough event in this case (I lived there 2 years and introduced a married couple) there was more of a connection between Sara and I than I thought. 3 years after leaving NY for Oklahoma I was baking banana bread from a recipe my mother-in-law put in a Circleville cookbook. It said "recipe from so-and-so Howes." This Howes was a direct relative of my mother-in-law. I told my mother in law that my friend, Sara, also had the last name Howes. My mother-in-law wanted me to get Sara's genealogy information (Dad's name, etc). Well, it turns out that she is Jonathan's 8th cousin once removed. My mother-in-law could explain better than I what that means (she is a genealogy person), but how ironic is it that not only is my only girl friend in NY related to Jonathan, but I have affected the Howes line twice (married Jonathan and introduced Matt and Sara). I just think it is a really weird "it's a small world" moment.

N is for Nightmares

Any other pregnant women have really scary nightmares? I have had a few and I think it may be from eating peanut butter late at night (I love peanut butter). Anyone have recurring nightmares throughout life (not from being pregnant)? Mine have been about two things ... wolves and tornadoes. I have no idea where the wolf thing comes from as I do find them very beautiful and I have never encountered one. Tornadoes have always scared me. Usually my dreams revolved around being outside in my parent's back yard and one of us not being able to run into the basement fast enough. Ironic that I should end up in Oklahoma where there are no basements and plenty of tornadoes. At least we have a tornado shelter, but I am afraid of spiders, too, and they reside in our tornado shelter. I guess you just can't win. In the case of a tornado hitting our house, I suppose two of my worst fears will happen...being in a tornado and having to hang out with the spiders while waiting it out. At least the wolves won't be there.

M is for Mattthew

Jonathan's brother, Matthew, was born May 20, 1983. He grew up in Circleville, Ohio, like Jonathan. He was involved with swimming and band (he plays drums) and he is also a very good pianist. He went to Kent State University and graduated with a degree in Journalism. He worked for the Circleville Herald and now he works for the State of Columbush as a Publishing Specialist (I am not sure what he exactly does, but it may be top secret...just kidding). He is dating a wonderful lady named Krista who is an elementary school teacher. They have come down to visit us for the last two Thanksgivings which were wonderful visits. Matthew is a big Cubs fan and got to go to a game at Wrigley a few years ago. Matthew has a big heart and is always wanting to make the world a better place. He is deeply involved with his church and the youth at his church (as is Krista).

L is for LGB trains

I bet the Haskews know what these are! We got a set of LGB trains for our wedding...rather, Jonathan got a set:). Jonathan loves trains. We have train paraphernalia all over our house. He knew someone who worked at a railroad and got some of it there. I think some of the train stuff was his grandfathers. We used to drive out to the tracks in the hood at college and wait for trains at all hours of the evening after studying. We took a train out to New Mexico where we worked for the summer of 2003 at Philmont (it was my first time in a train). It was so funny, because I had no clue how to act on a train. I mean, we went to the dining car and do we take our bags or not? Jonathan took his bag (it had my engagement ring in it which I did not know) so I lugged all of my stuff to the dining car. We didn't have a private car or whatever. We weren't married at the time. We slept in the seats like most people. Anyway, we took the train from Elyria, Ohio to Raton, New Mexico. It was over a day. It was a fun trip, though. When we got married my parents friends who really like Jonathan gave us our first LGB train set. It is a large model train set and Jonathan was thrilled. He has added some pieces to it over time and hopefully Cole will share his Daddy's passion for trains. I don't get the train thing, but it is nice that Jonathan enjoys them so much. I think they are loud:). Cole did kick me once earlier in the pregnancy when a train went by and whistled. I don't know if that was a good thing or not:). We will find out!

K is for Kites

Every year, usually spring around Easter, I remember flying kites as a kid. Do kites fly well in Oklahoma? You would think they would because of the wind, but the wind is so strong I would wonder if it wouldn't just rip the kite right off the string! I remember flying the kite and then dropping the spool by mistake and I remember watching my father and how strong and fast he was running after it. My favorite kite had a dragon on it. It was really neat. I think I lost it by dropping it and dad couldn't get to it before it was too far away. I couldn't think of anything for K, but my Dad running after the kites really brought back memories and I am thankful I had a good father on father's day. Just like I am thankful to have a good mother on mother's day. She didn't chase the kites, but she did always play ball in the yard with dad and us. She was the perpetual catcher, never the hitter. She had played ball at one point in her life and it was cool to have a mom who was out there playing with us like that. Great memories.

J is for Jonathan and Joe

Jonathan was born November 21, 1979 to Joe and Sheryl Forte. He was born in Wilmington, Delaware. His family stayed in Delaware until he was 3 and his father was transfered by Dupont to the Circleville, Ohio plant.
Jonathan is an Eagle Scout and held many honors from the Boy Scouts. He loves Philmont, a Boy Scout Ranch in New Mexico (where we got engaged....more on that later) and the outdoors. He also did a lot with history as a young lad. He was on the track and soccer teams in high school. Jonathan, like me, also went through a long phase where he wasn't good at math. He works at MKEC engineering consultants in Oklahoma City and he has his Professional Engineers license. He is really into eating healthy and exercising. He loves the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Cowboys. He wants to participate in Fantasy Football this year in the Vienna league, but he is afraid his wife will beat him (just kidding). Since meeting him I have learned how to flyfish, how to hike properly (no cutting the switchbacks, etc), and a lot more about sports. We have mostly common interests so it makes it fun. He is a good Christian man and will make a great father coming up here really soon. I never had any doubts about that, though!

Joe, Jonathan's Dad, was born March 25th (I don't know what year:). He grew up just outside of Philadelphia and you can still hear the accent, though it's been watered down over the years. He likes the Philadelphia Eagles (and Jonathan is a Dallas Cowboys fan now...look out!). His big passion is Revolutionary War reenacting. He and Jonathan's mother go to Valley Forge quite often to help out. He is about to retire from DuPont this year.

I is for "I" have such nice coworkers

Well, our friends and family from Ohio showered an overwhelming amount of gifts on us for Cole. Then, our friends from church added to the mix. I had a work shower this past week. I was hoping the person taking the picture would have gotten the gifts in the frame. I was overwhelmed by everyone's generosity and love they poured upon me. Everyone knows I am leaving, and they could have just said "Well, she will be gone and forget this place." I feel very blessed to have a great work family. It is sad to leave in ways. I am glad to stay home with our son, but you'd just have to work with all the loving people at Fife to know what I mean. I almost cried as all the people came in the room who had given up their lunch break and had come to shower me once again with gifts. We are very blessed to be set with most things we will need for Cole. This is a great thing since I quit my job July 3rd. It will be a big change living on one income and the people in our lives have made the transition just a little easier. Now, we need diapers, wipes, Cole, and lots of prayers for us as we begin the journey into parenthood. Here's me at 33 weeks.

H is for Hinckley

I was born in Parma Ohio and we moved out to Hinckley, Ohio when I was 3. It is not very far from Parma, but it is a whole lot different. Hinckley is about a half hour south and a little west of downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Growing up there was a dream. We lived on an acre of land where my brother and I and all the neighborhood kids had plenty of room to play. We were surrounded by a large hay field and then woods on one side (no houses across the street) and behind us was a golf course. We would use the golf course clubhouse as a candy shop sometimes. We played in the out-of-bounds of fairway/tee of hole 8. We collected golf balls and made clubs in that brush and trees. My parents bought a small house and my dad, being a great carpenter, built onto it and it is a large house today.
It was a small town and had one stop light. You had to drive 3 miles north into North Royalton to get groceries. Not too far away is a ski resort (hills, not mountains) and Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area. If you have never been here, I recommend it..it's beautiful. Also, we had Cedar Point, the nations home for the tallest, fastest roller coasters, an hour and half away. It can be seen often on the Travel Channel.
I have fond memories growing up in Hinckley. Nowadays, though, it has grown up a lot and has more "yuppies" than ever. The whole culture of the place has changed. I can go back in my memories, though.
I put a few pictures above of Jonathan washing the new truck in '03 in my parents front yard.

Update on the Pregnancy (H is for....will come later)

Well, we had the 32 week checkup today. Tomorrow marks 33 weeks. I am measuring right on as far as tummy growth. I gained more weight than expected since the last time (I have been thinking I look like a small orca, but this confirmed it). The doctor said she believes it is mostly water weight and she feels that I am progressing perfectly. She thinks the weight gain will slow. I do work out over 3 times a week and I try to eat healthy, which I am normally successful at. I am at the every 2 week visit point, now. She felt around and said Cole is "head down". I suspected as much because it feels like a little man is tight rope walking my ribs half the time:). It is not painful, yet. The only thing not very fun is the swelling (thus the 'water weight'). My left leg looked a bit freakish last week one day. I just have to watch the salt and drink a lot of water and keep the feet up. It's tough to keep the feet up at an office job, honestly. I have to sit sideways at my desk. I am stopping working on the 3rd of July indefinitely, though, so the last three weeks at least I will be at home. So, this is all that is new. I can't believe I am already 7 weeks away from the due date. It is a little crazy to think about. Tomorrow I have a baby shower at work. I will share some pictures (then back to my alphabets) after.

G is for Guitar

Trumpet and Saxophone were my main instruments growing up and in school. In 8th grade I started learning to play guitar. I taught myself with a book of my uncle's who had passed away years earlier. At first I learned your typical main chords and riffs to the songs of the day (Nirvana, etc). By junior year I could play Blackbird by Paul McCartney, Sunshine of Your Love by Eric Clapton, and a few others. I even played those along with a few others in front of my high school at a rock off. I was in two rock bands in high school. One band I played guitar in, the other was ska and I was the trumpet and sax player there...I transposed all the music (covers) for the horns. The ska band was very popular in school and we went to a battle of the bands in downtown Cleveland. Back to guitar..I knew some songs and serenaded my Japanese room mate my second year in college with Country Roads (John Denver). I didn't really get too much better until Jonathan and I graduated and worked at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico the summer of 2003. I learned a few more songs. Then, when I moved up to New York State by myself without knowing anyone I really picked it up a lot more and even bought myself a pretty good guitar. I was at a few parties and people asked me to play impromptu. It was fun. Now, in Oklahoma, I have gotten better at it, even, and sold two guitars I had for my current guitar...a Martin DC-15E (in the picture). I love it...it is beautiful and it smells like a cigar without the smokiness (it's the mahogany). I hope to play it to Cole. I probably won't play too much when he comes along, but I can make some good soothing sounds singing with it's mellow tone. We'll see...maybe he will inherit his mommy's love of music.

F is for Fly Fishing

Jonathan loves the outdoors. He is an Eagle Scout (which would have been a great post for "E" instead of dorky engineers) and he was brought up loving the outdoors. He doesn't hunt, but he really enjoys fly fishing. He taught me how to when we were first dating. We now own our own rods, but there isn't anywhere close to home to do it. It is a really peaceful activity and we have enjoyed the times we have fished together. We have fished in Ohio, New Mexico, and Colorado. He has gone to the Smoky Mountains and fished with his father, and they went up to Lake Erie and fished (I don't think it was fly fishing, though). He also fly fished at Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain National Park. I tried to fly fish off a boat in Canada. My friends probably thought I was crazy. I am just glad I didn't catch any of them with the fly. I switched to a bait casting rod shortly thereafter.
I had never been to a fish hatchery before being with Jonathan. I am proud to say I have been to a fish hatchery in Skaneateles, New York and in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I will add some pictures of us fishing later. Jonathan will enjoy teaching his little boy to fish, someday, we hope.

E is for Engineers

Jonathan and I are both engineers. We even met at an engineering seminar. Jonathan is a Civil Engineer and I am a Biomedical Engineer. We met my freshman year and his sophomore year of school. At the interviewing seminar the administrator of the seminar kept joking around with this really cute guy behind me (guess who?) and Jonathan kept joking back hoping to make me keep turning around and look at him. I was there with my friend Nikki who was really pretty. I thought he was interested in her when he walked us home. He walked us to their dorm, but I was left to walk onto mine alone:). I guess he didn't want to seem forward. On the way back I told him I was a Christian and I was Italian. I am not sure what else we talked about. A week later he went to Nikki's room and asked for my number. Boy was I surprised when she told me about it in Calculus. I had no male pursuers in high school, so this was all new to me (I went out with several boys in college the two months before meeting Jonathan, but told them all my abstinence before marriage policy...didn't go over well with most...Jonathan said "You better be that way!"). Anyway, our first date was to Campus Crusade for Christ and our second was a walk to the coffee shop a few miles away with my friends Beth and Jenny (no one had a car). We had conflicting internship schedules, so we were not physically in the same city for a lot of college, but when we were we could always be found on the Civil Engineering/Chemical Engineering floor of the engineering building studying with our friend Matt. All of the professors knew us. This was our fun...we were a weird bunch.
Since I have no pictures from this special time in our history (I don't think Jonathan would have dated me had I brought along a camera and insisted on pictures the night of the interviewing seminar...not like either of us expected we would meet our spouses there), the below pictures are from our trip to Kansas City this weekend. Almost 9 years later...

We decided we better get BBQ if we were going to be in KC. This place is in a really swanky shopping district of KC and it was a very neat atmosphere. For any of you looking for a getaway that's not to bad on the gas tank, Kansas City was a nice place to explore and I wish we had more time to do so. The BBQ here was good. I still like County Line better. I shouldn't have tried to get my favorite, beef ribs. I think I would have likes their pulled pork better than any I had ever had.

Since being roped into fantasy football by Jake Haskew (can we play again this year, Jake?) I am now crazy about the sport. I really enjoy it. We went to the Royals game at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City after our BBQ dinner. Right next to the Royals stadium (which is really cool looking and out in the middle of farmland) is Arrowhead Stadium where my boy, Tony Gonzales, and the Chiefs play. Number 88!!! Woo-hoo!! I was embarrassing Jonathan. So, seeing the stadium where the Chiefs lost all those games this year was neat. I have never seen tailgater's before a baseball game before. Every stadium I have been to has been in the heart of downtown of a large city. I guess Arlington isn't (Rangers), but I don't recall tailgating there, either. Anyway, it was a neat atmosphere.

I will remember the scoreboard forever. It was so crisp, clear, and HUGE! Also, there were fountains and no fan seating in the outfield. It was a really neat setup.

The Royals played my team, the Indians. C.C. Sabathia pitched which was really cool to see. He is really out of shape, but still pitched a good game. The Indians lost, though, and I was harassed for donning my Indians ballcap in Royals turf. Actually a guy in our section was kicked out for being belligerently drunk and picking on another Indians fan. We did not let it ruin our experience, though.

There was yet another Indians fan next to us...she took this picture. Cole made it into the picture, sort of:). He liked the game...I think he was in it for the Dippin Dots.

The fountains lit up...it was cool. The red you see in between advertisements below the fountains are also water falls.

I love night games.

The Kansas rolling prairie on the way back. It was beautiful. I wouldn't want to live there, but it was peaceful to drive through.

D is for Drawing

I have an artistic side. This comes from my mother's side. Her brother was a very good artist and he played guitar (so do I along with trumpet and saxophone). My favorite drawing I have ever done was of my brother. I was going to take a C in my last semester college drawing class for refusing to draw the nude models (Obviously I was going to take the class pass/fail so it didn't hurt my GPA). I decided to do a figure drawing for my final. Since I didn't want to draw the nudes, I coaxed my brother into wear all underarmour and I took some photos of him in our parents basement. He had just lost 70 lbs, so he was probably more willing to do it due to his happiness with his accomplishment:).

So, I drew from the best, most mood provoking photo I took. I have many MANY other drawings I have done and a lot of them I think are pretty decent. This one is my favorite and I gave it to him for his high school graduation. Art is a tough thing to give away!

Oh, and the moral of the story...I didn't draw the nudes, but since I did so well on this project I got an A in the class and the professor wanted me to come back and major in art (no way...I was ready to graduate).

Enjoy the above stages of the drawing! It was so fun to do!

C is for Candice and Chris

I was born July 30th, 1981 to parents Rick and Wendy Salerno. I weighed 5 lbs 3 oz (yes, I was tiny). Above is my parents shortly thereafter. They look pretty good considering I never slept so neither did they.

Dad had me throwing baseballs/any other balls as soon as possible. I have video of him teaching me to slam dunk as a very young lass.
I grew up in Hinckley, Ohio. I was into every sport imaginable. In 1999 I graduated 10th in my high school class (of 180) and was the Army Reserve National Scholar Athlete for my school (one male and one female senior per school are awarded it). I was 1st team all county and all league catcher my senior year, as well. I also was recruited with my pitcher to play for an elite softball team in Elyria (45 minutes from our hometown) for their summer and winter leagues. I got horrible grades in math until junior year in high school when I started going to a tutor and then had no trouble after that (I am an engineer, so in general they are not bad at math). I was a total nerd in school, despite the sports. It has worked to my advantage later in life, so I am glad for it now, but who wants to be a dork?
Until July 3rd of this year I will work for The Fife Corporation in Oklahoma City www.fife.com.

Here is my brother Chris. He was born August 16th 1984. My nemesis and best friend all through growing up, we still talk on the phone weekly. That is amazing since we live 1000 miles apart. As children we always made up new clubs with the kids on the street (like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or the NBA club) and we found ways to stay entertained by making up games (like American Gladiators in the swimming pool). I can't imagine having grown up without him.
Chris likes to golf, he has been able to cook since being a young child, and he is very athletic. He's always the life of the party. Chris graduated this past March/April from The Ohio State University and he works for Allied Construction Products www.alliedcp.com in Cleveland, Ohio.

My second grade picture. Is it the 80s? Oh yeah, I think so. Check out that funky shirt.

Chris and I a few years back.